Leak Detection - An announcement from Smart Energy Systems

We've been asked to help spread an announcement on behalf of one of our clients, SmartEnergySystems.ie, who are keen to raise awareness about the issue of leaking pipes over the Christmas period. Not only are leaking pipes an environmental hazard, it’s a huge drain on our limited safe drinking water supply. Frozen pipes can burst in extremely cold weather which only exacerbates the problem. Undetected water leaks are the main reasons for loss of water supply at this time of year. The public's cooperation in conserving water use (including not allowing taps to run continuously) is also greatly appreciated to allow water levels to return to normal. Water is our most valuable natural resource and we must conserve it. Smart Energy Systems have an emergency response number, 0818 288 050 and are available 24/7 for urgent leak detection. The company is operating right throughout the Christmas period and can be reached at any time to deal with emergency leak detection situations.

Alan Treacy, Director, has this to add:

Remember: Leaks on your premises are your responsibility, and will not be repaired by the council or water providers. Insurance companies will only settle claims once the leak is found and repaired, and subsequent leaks may not be covered by insurance. Underground leaks will require specialist leak detection equipment in order to be found. An undetected leak can cost a business thousands of euro and it is in a companies own interest to detect and repair them as fast as possible. Leaking water =leaking money. We would recommend carrying out a simple water audit on your supply to establish if a leak is present which can be done in under 5 minutes.

For instructions on how to carry out the simple check visit http://www.smartenergysystems.ie/simple-water-audit/

For leak detection enquires/concerns contact Smart Energy Systems Ltd (SES Ltd) on 0818 288 050 or email info@smartenergysystems.ie for a no obligation free consultation/advise.

Leak Detection Waterless Urinals

The New LinkedIn Recommend Button

LinkedIn have added a new Company Recommend Button for websites and blogs. Similar to the Facebook "Like" button, which is quite consumer orientated, this button is must have for business websites.

Google and the Sponsored Links Text

Google's first strategy to generate an income from it's Search Business was the Google Device. Described as a "Search Appliance" and displayed as a bright yellow rack server box, it wouldn't really have become the billion dollar system that AdWords is today.

But Google was right to stray away from the other monetisation routes of the day - like Yahoo's $299 search-inclusion service. This meant that the Google Search results were "organic" (or algorithmic) and influenced by a community rather than than by paying advertisers.

This was a major shot in the arm for smaller companies. Because Google had reduced the number of results from any domain to just 2 per 10 results, while a big brand may have been number 1, there was plenty of room for newcomers. Consumers could, for the first time, gain unbiased views on products and services, quite often not available in their own town or peer group. It was a major boon for the little guy - the consumers and the brands!

When Google appointed a new (and current) CEO, Eric Schmidt, he helped Google develop the AdWords system (also called Pay-Per-Click/PPC) and paved the way for Google's epic IPO. One of the more curious aspects of this, is that while Google has a strong policy on Paid for clicks (and we abhor paid for links), they've previously opted to name their AdWords adverts "Sponsored Links".

We welcome the correct use of the word Ads, in-line with FTC ruling that forces bloggers, writers, twitter users and other digital content creators to acknowledge client or otherwise commercial links, mentions or recommendations as such. This has caused huge confusion, and its not helpful to people who have clearly been confused between a number 1 organic ranking and a number 1 advert (aka sponsored link).

This has to be one of my all time favourites (note: organic rankings change cyclically but the point is valid):

10 years of Google

A look back at how and why Google displaced thousands of search engines - to become the largest driver of traffic on the internet today

10 years of Google

View more presentations from PrimaryPosition.com.

Introducing WebCare.ie - our next startup

Today I'm delighted to announce the start of our newest venture, WebCare - a complete website support and maintenance company in Ireland. WebCare will be based beside Primary Position in the National Technology Park in Limerick, where the first team is already setup and working.

We've been involved in the web space for a long time. In 1996 we developed our first website for a company in South Africa and its been go since then. Since then we've worked for over 500 companies, some of them are the biggest and best known in Ireland and we've kept professionally tight lipped about them all. But we're very proud of the work we've done nonetheless. The return comes through the many recommendations we get, even years later.

Throughout this time, we've come into contact with many businesses who have had websites designed - and are very happy with them - but need someone to help update and maintain the site. Image editing, replacing PDF's, editing content, adding pages - all that kind of work that many people just hate doing. Well, at WebCare - we love doing it!

I've known the co-founders since my days in DELL in Limerick. James has been a long term business partner and a great friend. He's also my best man at my upcoming wedding in December. Gene was director of Engineering and hugely capable. He's the most respected boss I've ever had and its a hugely satisfying to still be working with him 12 years on. Together, we have years of experience in providing customer focused services.

WebCare already has a comprehensive range of support and maintenance packages - but we want to grow the range of services and the way in which we deliver them - we're all about providing the best we can for our clients and look forward to hearing back from people in terms of what else we can offer them.

It's also great to be able to be involved in creating a new startup, especially in Limerick, where we all met and cut our teeth. Limerick is a great city, as good as any other, regardless of the media portray it. It's arguably the safest city I've lived in  - and I've lived in 3  (Cape Town and Dublin too). The people are great, the city is compact and easy to get around. The location is perfect - Cork, Galway, Tralee, Tipperary, Killarney, Dublin - all accessible within an hour to two hours.

And a massive thank you to everyone who has wished us well or is already working with us ( the hosting companies, the designers, the partner companies, the platform providers) - we've been so well recieved and it's only our first day! And welcome too to the new clients that have signed up with us - well, not so new maybe as many of them have been clients for years!

Thank you.

Our new startup - what I've been up to

This week we've started another new company - Webcare - and it will be based alongside Primary Position in the National Technology Park in Limerick.

For as long as I can remember, I've always been fascinated with Business and Technology. My dad gave me an Epson HX-20 laptop PC when I was about 8 years old -  it was literally the first laptop PC on the market. It was dual 0.9Mhz (yip 0.9) processor and I taught myself to programme it by the age of 10.

I also setup my first my business as an IT Consultant in Cape Town in 1995 while I was studying a B.Comm degree. I dropped out after my second year and never looked back. In 1998 my family returned to Ireland and I went to work for Dell. What a fantastic job - a software engineer in the worlds biggest computer company - geek heaven on earth.

I went on to start another company in 2002 and invested in or directed several (or more) other startups that were later sold (not at huge profits mind you). For me, its the love of startups - I love being involved with them. Business and Technology.

In 2010, I teamed with my old friend and long time business Partner, James and with Gene. We'd worked together in Dell - James in Engineering and then Sales and Gene was Director of Engineering. I got on so well with them that we remained working together even after we'd all left.

From our background in building and developing web solutions for other companies, through

The Great Irish Online Survey : 2010

We plan to run a survey in a couple of weeks that we hope to get responses from Irish consumers regarding shopping habits, attitudes towards brands, payments, security, design and continuity. Respondents may be involved in the web industry but we'd like to separate the results out as much as possible.

The overall aim is to get a better idea of how people buy online and how to improve the experience for everybody. It should also establish some facts on which Web UX can be improved.

If you are involved in the Irish Web Industry - a shop owner, designer, PR, agency, industry body for example - and would like to help create, publish and invite respondents as a partner, then we would like to hear from you. We'd also like to publish any special offers/freebies that partners would like to give.

The data will be shared with partners equally for their own analysis.